Affordable Hotel with Internet?

Hi, All :wave:

I've been away from this board for some time now and had to re-register since I can't get my old ID/password to work here... I think my old ID was "danny" and an OLDER one may have been "danny34"??? Oh, how the years pass!

I will finally be returning to Thailand in June for a 30-90 day stay.

Does anyone know of a gay-friendly hotel or serviced apartment in Bangkok that provides hi-speed Internet connection in their rooms? I would ideally like to keep the monthly rate no more than 30,000 baht. Cheaper would be better!

So far I have found the Cape House on Langsuan (30,000 baht/mo.), the Sunrise Residence on Saladaeng (20-24,000 baht/mo.), and the Surawong Suite north of Silom (27,000 baht/mo.).

Does anyone know how gay-friendly (and guest-friendly) these places are?


Also - Since the Surawong Suite is kinda far from things, I would have to rely on taxis. How is the taxi situation in Bangkok these days? Since I have numerous unpleasant experiences with taxi drivers the last few times I visited BKK, I always prefer to use the Skytrain. It seems that taxi drivers often refuse to take me where I want to go (too far or too much traffic there) or they throw out these ridiculous fares. And this was long before gas prices skyrocketed... I don't mind paying more than the meter amount (or double it), but really felt they were getting a bit aggressive!

Sorry to ask so many questions ... thanks.

[Surfcrest]

Hi Danny(Now 34),

I can't say much about you internet inquiry, but you are right about taxis in Bangkok.

It seems that outside the tourist areas, the metered taxis are comfortable and reliable.
In the areas frequented by tourists, anything can happen.
It seems as though any Tuk Tuk experience around Silom is bad news. By the time you finish beating them down to the correct fare or what a metered air conditioned taxi (with the meter on) would charge you, you could have probably walked or taken public transit and have been there already.
When the BTS / MRT closes, the games begin with the metered taxis.
I make sure we have an understanding that the meter will be on before the taxi moves, if not I'm out.
Sometimes it's best to catch one going the right direction.
You have to see it from their vantage point, in that they don't want the fare to be spent waiting in traffic, especially to turn around.

Although it's not the safetst choice, I enjoy motorcycle taxi's in Bangkok.
In Pattaya you are just putting yourself at risk, but in Bangkok the ease of moving through grid lock at a reasonable pace will put you ahead both in time and with the fare.

I found that I had more bad taxi experiences last year that I have had this year.
That could be just luck.

The BTS / MRT does provide a great option for travelling in the city.
Quite often if you have farther distances to go, you can get there quicker simply because there isn't the traffic to contend with.
I few years back the Thais didn't use the BTS that much, but this has certainly changed.
It isn't to the point where it is in Hong Kong, where they have transit workers pushing the people from behind to get more into a train, but is is getting there...especially between 4pm and 7:30pm downtown.
The MRT is still farly quiet though.

Surfcrest